Concrete-molding apparatus



A til 5 192 P 7 s. LAKE CONCRETE MOLDING APPARATUS Filed- May 6, 1924 Patented Apr. 5, 1927.

SIMON LAKE, OF MILFORD, CONNECTICUT.

cononn'rniaonnme APPARATUS.

In quantity production of concrete slabs and the like elements forbuilding. purposes, especially Where the slabs or the like are of large sizes such as would be used for Wall,

floor and roof construction, 'a'great deal of ground space is required for molding'same; andpinasmuch as the space used for niold- 'ing'any individual slab cannot ordinarily @bereuseduntil"theslab has acquired suffi- "oie'ntsetfto .retain'its shape while being "handled, much time "is consumed during "whichthat space is idle-"so far as its early use for subsequent molding ioperations .1s

fconcerned.

The "object of my invention is'to provide apparatus ifor molding concrete slabs and the like,whereby aneconomy in space is attained, .sot'hat the output of a molding plantmay be materially increased without increasing the space used.

The inventlon' consists in apparatus for "molding concrete comprising essentially a platform adapted to receive and support the forms'o f the mold: and upon which the slabs or the like arec ast, this platform being so constructed and arranged as to be raised upon one of its'sides to discharge the mold- I ed slabin an uprightpositionupon one of itsedges, whereupon the platform is almost immediately available for use in casting another, slab. And the invention consists, further, in means-for hastening the initial set of the concrete so that the slab may be handled without injury a short time after the molding operation is completed, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

' In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is an end vi ew of my apparatus, and indicating, in dotted. lines, the platform in discharging position, and a number of finished slabs in position as discharged by the platform. Fig. 2 is a side view of the device with a slab thereon. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective View of a form of pallet which may be employed to produce a design upon the outer face of a slab.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a platform 1 having, preferably, an underframe 2 mounted upon pairs of wheels 3 and 4 at opposite sides of the platform,

respectively. These wheels are provided in Application filed Ma 6, 1924. Serial No. 711,418.

their webs with holes arranged to register with complemental holes 6 in the brackets 7 which carry the, wheel bearings, and pins or bars, not shown, may be insertedthrough the holes'in the brackets and througlrr'egistering holes in the wheels for the purpose of preventing movement of the platform,

One side of the platfor m 1 is provided with a plurality ofspaced feet'8 against which the,slab 9 may abut'and which serve to prevent the slab from slidingwhen the platform is tilted.

ilhe platform'is preferably made of hollow construction and into the dHtGI'lOIQOf same steam or other heating fluid maybe introduced and exhausted through pipes 10 and 11, for thepurpose of heatingthe platform to thereby assist in and hasten the drying of the slab'thereon.

If'the slabs are of the cored type, steamheated cores 12 of the 'generaltypeshown and described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 409,370, filed September 10,1920, may be employed. WVhen'these CQIQSHIQ used the drying of the concrete is stillfurther hastened.

hen it is desired to providean'orna mental surface upon the face or faces of the slab a pallet 13 (Fig. 3) may beused upon the platform. The pallet shown has designs upon it which wilhin the'finis'hed slab, simulate clapboards (14), moldings (15) and stonework (16), the remainder of the pallet being formed (17 to simulate an ordinary footing.

My device is operated as follows :The platform is rolled to the location in which it is desired to cast the slabs and the wheels are locked by passing pins or bars through theholes in the brackets and wheels. Then, if a pallet is used, the pallet is placed upon the platform and is treated in any appropriate manner, as by applyingto its surface parafine, soap or oil, to prevent it from adhering to the concrete of the slab. Then suitable forms are set up upon the platform and the concrete poured therein and manipulated in such a manner as to produce the type of slab desired. After the concrete has been poured and tamped, the heating fluid is introduced into the hollow interior of the platform, and if cores'are employed, into the cores, and the concrete of the thus cast slab is rapidly dried out to the point at which it acquires its initial set and may be handled without injury. The forms are then removed, the cores (if used) with drawn, and the platform tilted to the posi tion indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, blocks 18 having been previously arranged upon the ground so as to lie between the feet 8 of the platform, which now rest upon the ground, and support the slab. The platform may thereafter be rolled away from the thus deposited slab, after unlocking the wheels 3. until its feet 8 are withdrawn from beneath the slab, when it may be returned to normal horizontal position for repetition of the casting operation.

As will be seen, slabs may thus be cast rapidly, and, being deposited in upright position, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, require very little ground space while they complete their drying.

I am thus enabled to utilize the space in a casting plant to much greater advantage, and can thus provide a greater output relatively to the space available than is possible where the slabs are allowed to dry flat upon the ground.

Moreover, the slabs having attained their initial set while supported flat upon the platform, are in no way injured by being thereafter deposited in upright position to complete their drying.

Obviously, in large types of slab, rein forcing means will be incorporated during the process of molding, and such reinforcement aids in supporting the slab upright when it is discharged from the platform, but I do not wish it to be understood that such reinforcement is essential to the practical use of my device.

Various changes are contemplated as within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

IVhat I claim is:

1. In a concrete molding apparatus, a platform upon which the concrete may be cast in appropriate forms to produce an article. said platform having a hollow interior into which a heating medium may be introduced to hasten the setting of the concrete. a core around which the concrete is cast and into which a heating medium may be introduced to further hasten said setting, and supporting means for said platform upon which it may be tilted to discharge the completed article from it after said article has attained a set sufficient to make it self-supporting.

2. In a concrete molding apparatus, a platform upon which the concrete may be cast in appropriate forms to produce an article, said platform having its interior arranged to receive a heating medium to effect the hastening of the setting of the concrete. and a wheeled carriage for said platform whereby it is rendered mobile, the wheels of said carriage affording means whereby the platform may be tilted to discharge said article after the concrete has attained suflicient set under the influence of said heating medium to be self-supporting.

3. In a concrete molding apparatus, a platform upon which the concrete may be cast to produce an article, wheels upon which said platform is carried and by which it is rendered mobile, said platform being tiltable for the purpose of discharging the completed article therefrom, and means for locking said wheels relatively to said platform, whereby movement of the platform is prevented during the tilting of same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of May A. D. 1924. 

